Enhanced navigation systems provide levels of driving ease and understandability that were unheard of decades ago. Drivers can see traffic, construction and even weather patterns related to a navigation route and make driving decisions to accommodate or avoid slow or unsafe areas. Even with the advancements to navigation, however, opportunities for improvement still exist.
One point of concern related to travel finds root in the prevalence of accidents and fatalities involving train crossings. Hundreds of train+vehicle related fatalities occur in the US every year and thousands of accidents occur. Whether this is due to a lack of crossing guards, people making poor decisions resulting in a vehicle stopped on train tracks, or a general lack of understanding about how long it takes to stop a train weighing millions of pounds, drivers could avoid almost all of these accidents with a little foresight. Additionally, drivers may not know how much traffic a passing train will cause, resulting in unexpected and unpredictable delays.
Primary causes of accidents at crossings, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, include:
1) Detecting the crossing, high visual demand (or distraction) may cause drivers to miss traffic control devices and the crossing itself;
2) Driver behavior at the crossing—Drivers become impatient waiting for the train to arrive and drive through the intersection, drivers ignore safety rules (especially when they are familiar with the intersection), or drivers fail to comply with warning devices;
3) Perception errors at the crossing, including: recognizing the train (80% of accidents), particularly when sight distance is limited and at passive crossings with no lights or gates (e.g. at dual track crossings, the view of one train blocks the view of another train on a different track, warning systems that are perceived to be faulty due to stalled trains, construction, etc and so are ignored).
4) Decision-making in the dilemma zone where misjudgment can lead to a train-road vehicle collision, speed variance and inconsistency on the part of drivers can lead to rear-end collisions; or when trains cross the road in opposite directions and a driver may need heed the warning lights or barriers if he thinks the first train has passed, not realizing there is a second train coming from the other direction; and
5) Spillback where vehicles can be trapped on a crossing, blocked by other vehicles from moving out of the train's path by vehicles ahead and behind.